Sainsbury’s Christmas food and drink: the best festive finds to buy

Like the idea of a different taste on 25th December? Sainsbury’s Gressingham whole duck (opens in new tab) is easy to cook in its film bag, which is designed to retain the juices and gamey flavour. Gressingham Duck, btw, is a cross of the Mallard and Pekin duck and its a chefs’ favourite.

If pigs in blankets are a must-have for your Christmas day table, Sainsbury’s taste the difference pork sausage and bacon wraps (opens in new tab) are worth snapping up. The Good Housekeeping Institute made them winners in the pigs in blankets category of its festive testing remarking on ‘herby sage notes, balanced seasoning and succulent meat’. All the pork is British.

Vegans, Sainsbury’s shroompups in blankets (opens in new tab) give you a side dish of your own to enjoy. The seasoned mushroom cocktail sausages are wrapped in vegan rashers in a smoked paprika coating.

Don’t forget the gravy. And with a win in the gravy category of the BBC Good Food Christmas taste awards, what better version to pick up than Sainsbury’s taste the difference Christmas gravy (opens in new tab)? ‘Clean poultry flavour, pleasant vegetal base and fairly thick yet pourable consistency’, said the experts. We call that just right.

We do love a cheesecake and the Sainsbury’s Santa’s raspberry belly cheesecake (opens in new tab) means we can indulge our taste for it and declare it appropriate for the season. It has a digestive biscuit crumb base and a raspberry glaze, then it’s finished with a chocolate sponge, chocolate sauce and an edible decoration. Ho, ho, ho.

Wreath-inspired dishes both sweet and savoury aren’t hard to track down for Christmas 2019. We like the Sainsbury’s taste the difference raspberry and lemon wreath (opens in new tab) which is a meringue version of this festive shape. It’s topped with whipped cream, raspberries, of course, and a Belgian white chocolate ganache and white chocolate shavings.

All-butter pastry and a nip of brandy make Sainsbury’s taste the difference all butter mince pies (opens in new tab) a top treat for Christmas 2019, we reckon. They are, of course, filled in the time-honoured fashion with fruit, aromatic peel and spices. All round, very moreish. 

Sainsbury’s taste the difference take a bao selection (opens in new tab) (geddit?) are vegan, but we think everyone will love them. The bao buns come with three fillings: massaman vegetable curry, crunchy water chestnut and chive, and mixed mushrooms in aromatic char sui marinade, so if you could just bring that plate round again...

Pies, like burgers, look extra enticing in party sizes. Sainsbury’s taste the difference mini steak and chicken pies (opens in new tab) are no exception. They’re made with British beef, Dorset ale and mature Cheddar, or British chicken, Wiltshire ham and mushroom and both have a butter-enriched pastry.

OK, we know we’ve already shown you a fabulously festive cheesecake from Sainsbury’s, but we can’t resist sharing this cute pud for your party guests. Sainsbury’s clementine and prosecco Christmas tree cheesecake (opens in new tab) looks amazing and, with its citrus and sparkling wine flavours, it tastes of Christmas, too.

Acclaimed by The Observer as ‘a sweetly enticing, brambly easy-drinking party-starter’ Sainsbury’s Porta 6 Vinho Regional Lisboa (opens in new tab) is just £6.50 a bottle right now, and if you stock up for your festive get-together, you can save 25% on any six or more bottles. We like the label, too.

Here’s another red that made the recommended list this Christmas. Sainsbury’s taste the difference Chilean pinot noir (opens in new tab) will go a treat with game dishes if that’s your pick this year. We reckon it’ll pair well with turkey as well. 

Prosecco’s become the go-to alternative to Champagne, but don’t forget the other sparkling wines, including Sainsbury’s Crémant de Loire (opens in new tab). It’s made in the same way as Champagne, and is rich but with apple freshness. It’ll pair with shellfish, but why not simply toast the new year with it?